It has been estimated that as much as two-thirds of deceased soldiers in the US Civile War were killed not by bullets but by disease, with the most prevalent of those diseases being the intestinal illnesses diarrhea and dysentery. It was not clear, based on the established medical knowledge, exactly what caused these illnesses to flourish in military camps, but one physician by the name of James H. Salisbury suspected diet was the greatest culprit, and came up with his own solution.
By September of 1944, the Western Allies had broken out of the Normandy beachehead, and suddenly and quickly moved across northern France . By September 7th, the 90th division was stretched across the northern sector on Patton’s Third Army’s left, advancing slowly northeast. As they did so the German defenders made a risky attack in an effort to spoil the allied advance, cutting through Allied lines in a surprise action at the small town of Mairy-Mannville.